Package with tear strip



June 2, 1970 w. P. JACOBSON PACKAGE WITH TEAR STRIP 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed April 24, 1968 June 2, 1970 w. P. .mcoasora 3,515,334

PACKAGE WITH PEAR STRIP Filed April 24, 1968 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 ma nwm ,4):

United States Patent 3,515,334 PACKAGE WITH TEAR STRIP William P. Jacobson, Rockford, Ill., assignor to Anderson Bros. Mfg. (30., Rockford, Ill., a corporation of Illinois Filed Apr. 24, 1968, Ser. No. 723,733 Int. Cl. B65d /54, 17/20 U.S. Cl. 229-51 8 Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE A plastic container is provided with an outwardly extending peripheral flange at its open end. A cover member is sealed to the outer extremity of the peripheral flange. A tear strip is provided in the flange inwardly of the seal to provide an opening feature. In one embodiment, a reclosing feature is also illustrated and described.

BACKGROUND The invention pertains generally to packages and more particularly to packages having an opening feature.

Some foodstuffs are now being packaged in sealed plastic bags which may be immersed in boiling water to cook or heat the food for serving. This has several advantages, among which are that the cooking pan is not soiled, the food is cooked in its own juices, and the juices are not lost in the cooking process. Thus, the seal of these containers must be capable of sustaining the heat of boiling water. These packages do not have an opening feature, and access is usually obtained by cutting, as with scissors.

Plastic containers having an outwardly extending peripheral flange and a cover member sealed to the peripheral flange have, in the past, been provided with a peelable-type seal to provide an opening feature. Some examples of containers having a peelable seal are illustrated in Pat. No. 3,371,848. Peelable-type seals, however, are accomplished by a low-strength bond between the cover member and the peripheral flange. Suchpeelabletype seals ordinarily cannot withstand being immersed in boiling water. If a permanent seal is provided, the opening feature is lost. Accordingly, it would be desirable to have a plastic container with an opening feature other than the peelable-type seal.

SUMMARY The present invention provides a package including a plastic container having an outwardly extending flange portion, a cover member sealed to the flange portion, and a tear strip which may be removed from the container while the cover member remains sealed to the flange portion.

It is an object of the present invention to provide a package including a cover member sealed to a plastic container and which has an opening feature in the form of a tear strip in the container.

Another object is to provide a plastic container having an outwardly extending peripheral flange and a cover member overlying the open end and sealed to the flange, and in which a tear strip is provided in the flange.

Still another object of the present invention is to pro- 'vide a package in accordance with the above and in which the plastic container may be reclosed after openmg.

These, and other objects and advantages of the present invention, will become apparent as the same becomes better understood from the following detailed description taken in conjunction with the drawings.

DRAWINGS FIG. 1 is a perspective view of an embodiment of the present invention;

Patented June 2, 1970 FIG. 2 is a top view of the embodiment of FIG. 1 but on a smaller scale;

FIG. 3 is an enlarged sectional view taken along line 33 of FIG. 2;

FIGS. 4 and 5 are top views of two other embodiments of the present invention;

FIG. 6 is an end view as seen from line 6-6 in FIG. 5, and illustrating the tear strip partially removed;

FIG. 7 is a top view of yet another embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 8 is an enlarged sectional view taken along line 8-8 of FIG. 7; and

FIGS. 9 and 10 are views similar to FIGS. 7 and 8, respectively, but illustrating the relationship of the parts in reclosed position.

DESCRIPTION Reference is now made more particularly to the drawings which illustrate the best presently known mode of carrying out the invention and wherein similar reference characters indicate the same parts throughout the several views.

In the embodiment of FIGS. 1-3, the package includes a plastic container, generally designated 20, and a cover member 22. The container includes a bottom 24 and a peripheral wall 25 extending upwardly from the bottom to an open end. A peripheral flange 26 extends outwardly from the open end, and the cover member 22 is sealed to the peripheral flange 26, as at 27 (See FIG. 3). Preferably, the seal 27 is adjacent the outer extremity of the peripheral flange 26. When intended for immersion in boiling water, the seal 27 is preferably a permanent seal which will withstand such temperatures. When provided with a permanent seal, the flange 26 preferably has an inner portion which is not sealed to the cover member 22.

A first imperforate line of weakness 31 is provided in the peripheral flange outwardly of the wall 25 and inwardly of the seal 27. A second imperforate line of weakness 32 is provided inwardly of the first line of weakness and preferably parallel thereto. The lines of weakness 31 and 32 define a tear strip 33 which, in this embodiment, extends around the entire periphery of the container. Adjacent one end of the tear strip, the lines of weakness extend across the seal 27, and the tear strip terminates in a finger-grip portion 34 located outwardly of the seal. The finger-grip portion may be grasped by a user and manually pulled downwardly as indicated in phantom in FIG. 1, to pull the tear strip away from the container while the flange outwardly of the first line of weakness 31 remains sealed to the cover member 22. It can be seen that the initial removal of the tear strip is across the seal 27. Since the tear strip is relatively narrow, this can readily be accomplished across even a substantially permanent-type seal since the cover member 22 is supported by the flange 2.6 on opposite sides of the tear strip as the tear strip is torn or pulled from the container. In this manner, a container is provided with a tear strip as an opening feature and which tear strip can be removed from the container while the cover member remains sealed to a portion of the peripheral flange.

The embodiment of FIG. 4 illustrates a plastic container, generally designated 50, having a cover member 52 sealed thereto. The container 50 has a peripheral flange 54, and the cover member 5.2 is sealed as at 53 to this flange adjacent the outer edge thereof. A tear strip generally designated 56 is provided in the flange 54 and is constructed similar to tear strip 33, previously described. Tear strip 56 has a finger-grip portion 57 outwardly of the seal 53. In this embodiment, the tear strip is not peripherally extending; rather, it extends around three sides of the container to provide an opening feature for removal of the contents. The package may thereafter be discarded.

The embodiment of FIGS. 5 and 6 illustrates a plastic container, generally designated 60, having a bottom 61 and wall means 62 defining the open end of the container. An outwardly extending peripheral flange 63 surrounds the wall means. A tear strip, generally designated 64, is provided in the peripheral flange 63 across one end of the container. A finger-grip portion 65 is provided at one end of the tear strip. In this embodiment, a cover member 68 is sealed to the peripheral flange 63 with a peelable-type seal. To provide access to the container, the tear strip 64 may be pulled away from the remainder of the container as illustrated in FIG. 6 to thereby provide an outer flange portion 63a which remains sealed to the cover member. Lifting upwardly on flange portion 63a allows the cover 68 to be peeled from the remainder of the container. In this manner, the tear strip 64 provides the initial step in the opening of the container. A second flange portion 63b is provided on the opposite side of the plastic container and may be separated from the remainder of the flange so that the cover and flange portions may be completely removed from the container. The container of this embodiment may thereafter be reclosed in the manner described in copending application Ser. No. 723,734, of Roger C. Bergstrom and William P. Jacobson, entitled Reclosable Package, filed concurrently with this application and assigned to the assignee of the present invention. The reclosure feature of this embodiment is not a part of the present invention.

The embodiment of FIGS. 7-10 provides a structure in which the opening feature cooperates to provide a particularly advantageous reclosing feature. As shown, the package includes a plastic container, generally designated 80, and a cover member 82. In the embodiment illustrated, the container preferably has a generally cylindrical side wall 84 which defines a circular open end. A peripheral flange, generally designated 86, extends outwardly from the upper end of the side wall 84. The flange includes an inner portion 87 and an outer portion 88 at a level above the inner portion. As can be seen in FIG. 8, inner portion 87 has a predetermined thickness, and outer portion 88 is at a level above the inner portion a distance approximating the thickness thereof, for a purpose which will hereafter become apparent. The cover member 82 is sealed to the outer portion 88 along a seal line shown at 89.

As best seen in FIG. 8, a first imperforate line of weakness 91 is provided in the inner portion. A second imperforate line of weakness 92, generally parallel to the first line of weakness, is also provided in the inner portion. These lines of weakness 91 and 92 define a tear trip, generally designated 93, which extends the full length of the inner portion 87, as best seen in FIG. 7. In the embodiment illustrated, the tear strip 93 extends across the seal 89 and terminates in a finger-grip portion 94,

which may be grasped for removing the tear strip from I I the container while the outer flange portion 88 remains sealed to the cover member 82.

As best seen in FIG. 7, the tear strip 93 oscillates between the inner and outer sides of the inner flange portion 87 to provide a plurality of leaves 95 extending outwardly of the wall 84 and also a plurality of leaves 96 extending inwardly of the outer flange 88 and seal 89. In the present embodiment, the leaves are shown as four in number; however, as few as two may be utilized if desired. It is important, however, that the leaves be generally regularly spaced for the reclosing function. As shown in FIG. 9, after removal of the cover member 82 and the attached outer flange portion 88, the container can be reclosed by replacing the cover member and turning the same through an angle so that the outwardly extending leaves 95 are interleaved between the inwardly extending leaves 96 and the cover member 82 (see FIG. 10). In this manner, then, the opening feature also provides an advantageous reclosing feature for the package.

It can be seen that the present invention provides a package which includes a plastic container having an outwardly extending peripheral flange and a tear strip in the flange for opening the container. A cover member is sealed to the peripheral flange and remains sealed to an outer portion of the flange while the tear strip is removed. In at least one embodiment, the opening feature cooperates to provide an advantageous reclosing feature.

While it is contemplated that the present invention may be manufactured in various ways, it may be conveniently formed, filled, and sealed by the apparatus described in Pat. No. 3,000,157, issued to Ollier et al. When so formed, thermoplastic materials of various types flexible enough to provide the tear strip, may be utilized for the container, and the cover member may be of flexible thermoplastic material of any type compatible with the container for sealing thereto. If desired, however, the cover member can be formed of sheets of material which otherwise meet the requirements of the present invention and which are coated with a material for sealing to the plastic container.

As one example of a specific package made in accordance with the present invention, the container is formed of high density polyethylene having a thickness of about 20 mils. The lines of weakness are provided by reducing the thickness of the peripheral flange preferably to less than about half the original thickness of the material, for example, by cutting. The tear strip is provided with a width of about one-eighth of an inch to provide suflicient strength for the removal of the tear strip. The cover material may be of any suitable kind, as discussed above, and the seal may be a peelable type or a more permanent type, depending on the desired function of the package.

While several embodiments of the invention have herein been illustrated and described, this has been done by way of illustration and not limitation, and the invention should not be limited except as required.

What is claimed is:

1. In a rectangular package including a rectangular plastic container having wall means defining an upwardly facing open end, and an outwardly extending peripheral flange at the open end; and a cover member overlying the open end and sealed to the peripheral flange with a peelable-type seal, the improvement comprising: a first imperforate line of weakness in the peripheral flange outwardly of the wall means, a second imperforate line of weakness in the peripheral flange inwardly of the first line of weakness and parallel thereto, the first and second lines of weakness defining a completely removable tear strip extending completely across one side of the rectangular package in a generally straight line, the tear strip having ends and a finger-grip portion at one end thereof for grasping and manually pulling the tear strip away from the container while the flange outwardly of the first line of weakness remains sealed to the cover member.

2. In a package including a plastic container having wall means defining an open end, and an outwardly extending peripheral flange at the open end; and a cover member overlying the open end, the improvement comprising: means providing a seal between the cover member and the peripheral flange, a first imperforate line of weakness in the container and extending across the seal to the outer edge of the peripheral flange, a second imperforate line of weakness in the container generally parallel to the first line of weakness and also extending across the seal to the outer edge of the peripheral flange, the first and second lines of weakness defining a tear strip having one end at the outer edge of the peripheral flange and a finger-grip portion at said one end, and at least a portion of the finger-grip portion being located outwardly of the seal for grasping and manually pulling the tear strip away from the cover member across the seal and away from the container while the cover member remains sealed to the peripheral flange.

3. A package as set forth in claim 2 wherein the seal is such that the package remains sealed when immersed in boiling water, and wherein the tear strip extends along at least two sides of the container to provide access thereto when the tear strip is pulled away from the container.

4. A package as set forth in claim 2 wherein the peripheral flange is formed of plastic material having a preselected thickness, the peripheral flange includes an inner portion and an outer portion at a level above the inner portion a distance approximating the preselected thickness, the seal is located between the cover member and the outer flange portion, and the majority of the tear strip is located in the inner flange portion.

5. A package as set forth in claim 2 wherein the tear strip extends along the peripheral flange around the periphery of the wall means, and the tear strip has a second end contiguous to one of said lines of weakness at a point inwardly of the seal and adjacent the finger-grip portion, whereby the tear strip is completely removable from the container, and the cover member and the portion of the peripheral flange outwardly of thetear strip are completely removable from the remainder of the container to provide access thereto.

6. A package as set forth in claim 5 wherein the tear strip has a width less than the distance between the seal and wall means, wherein the path of the tear strip oscillates between at least two spaced areas closely adjacent the wall means and at least two other spaced areas closely adjacent the seal to provide leaves extending outwardly of the wall means and other leaves extending inwardly of the seal when the tear strip is removed, and wherein the outwardly extending leaves may be interleaved between the inwardly extending leaves and the cover member to reclose the package.

7. A package comprising: a plastic container having Wall means defining an upwardly facing open end, an outwardly extending peripheral flange at the open end, said flange including an inner portion and an outer por' tion at a level above the inner portion, a cover member sealed to the outer portion along a seal line, first and second imperforate lines of weakness in the inner portion and extending the full length thereof, said lines of weakness defining a tear strip havin ends and a finger-grip portion at one end thereof for grasping and manually removing the tear strip from the container while the outer flange portion remains sealed to the cover member, said tear strip oscillating between the sides of the inner portion to provide leaves extending outwardly of the wall means and other leaves extending inwardly of the seal when the tear strip is removed, and the inwardly extending leaves arranged for underlying the outwardly extending leaves to reclose the package.

8. A package as set forth in claim 7 wherein: the plastic container is generally round at its open end, the inner flange portion has a preselected. thickness and the level of the outer flange is above the inner portion a distance approximating the thickness thereof for the reclosing function, and the reclosing is accomplished by rotating the outer flange portion and the attached cover member until the inwardly extending leaves are positioned under the outwardly extending leaves which are then interleaved between the cover member and the inwardly extending leaves.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 606,471 6/ 1898 Norfoot 220--54 616,865 12/1898 Barrath 22.0-54 2,941,660 6/1960 Tupper 206-46 2,998,158 8/1961 Tupper 22054 3,048,299 8/196 2 Hutchinson 22054 3,096,904 7/1963 Hutchinson 220-54 X 3,108,708 10/1963 Betner 22 951 X 3,101,870 8/1963 Betner Z2054 X 3,371,848 3/1968 Ward et al 229 3,398,876 8/1968 Ward 22945 3,398,877 8/196 8 Jacobson 22945 DAVID T. MOORHEAD, Primary Examiner U.S. Cl. X.R. 

